emphasising the lack of realistic goals at the EU level when dealing with the Balkans, and particularly with Albania and North Macedonia. The EU's internal veto politics undermines its ambition to become a global player and spreads disappointment among the Balkan countries, hindering reform efforts. In front of a missing carrot or delivery of promises, the political will to bring about reforms decreases. Instead, it allows for a‘geopolitical turn’ as the Union risks creating a vacuum in its own backyard and opening the doors for Russia and China. 1.3 PARTNERS OR RIVALS? ALBANIA’S RELATIONS WITH THIRD COUNTRIES In light of an unclear accession perspective, the Western Balkan countries are slowly opening up to new investment opportunities from third countries. In the case of Albania, Turkey constitutes an interesting example for deeper analysis. If we analyse the findings of the Security Barometer, Turkey is perceived by Albanians as the fourth friendliest country to Albania, after USA, Germany, and Italy. 45 41.55 40 37.31 Which is the friendliest country to Albania? 35 30 28.43 25 20 19.13 18.48 19.04 15 12.28 5.25 10 5.74 5.47 5 1.70.53 1.26 1.42 0 USA Germany Italy Other Turkey N.Macedonia France 2019 2020 0.9 0.53 0.720.27 Austria Don’t know Graph 4: Perception of the friendliest country to Albania. As shown in graph 4, the citizens’ perception has more than doubled in one year in favour of Turkey, at the expense of the support of Germany. On the contrary to the general view of the Western partners vis-à-vis Turkey as a third country, Albanians support for Turkey is linked primarily to three sets of reasons. Firstly, the portrayed‘special friendship’ between the Albanian Prime Minister and the Turkish President has had a positive impact. 11